Questions have been raised over when a massive tower block in Bracknell town centre will be completed.
Royal Winchester House in Bracknell town centre has effectively been built.
The tower, which contains 338 flats luxury apartments, dominates Bracknell’s skyline.
Royal Winchester House has been built by developers Comer Homes.
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It already has residents living in the building in one and two-bedroom flats, with a dedicated website for the project states that ‘phase 1’ apartments are ‘ready for occupation.’
Brian Comer, the boss of Comer Homes, implied that internal building works have been completed.
But if you look to the ground level, hoardings remain around the building, with rubble scattered at the foot of it. The man who took the photo described the site as an ‘absolute mess.’
The grand vision for Royal Winchester House was to have the tower block with ground floor rental space for businesses and an expansive, landscaped public area at the foot of the tower.
Yet little work on this public area has been done, apart from the space between Royal Winchester House and Waitrose.
And it looks like people in Bracknell will have to wait a while for the public area, according to Councillor Marc Brunel-Walker (Conservative, Crown Wood), Bracknell Forest Council’s executive member for regeneration.
When asked when the public area will be open, Cllr Brunel-Walker said: “In a year or two. It’s being used as a boneyard for construction at the moment.
“We’re seeking to turn that into a lively open space. ”
Initially there was a plan to accommodate Bracknell Market in this space.
However, it is unlikely the market will be moving any time soon. Cllr Brunel-Walker said: “We have spoken to some of the retailers and they are quite happy where they are.”
While there still is a possibility that the market could move, Bracknell Market operators Hughmark stated they will remain at Princess Square for the foreseeable future.
The market runs on Fridays and Saturdays.
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Cllr Brunel-Walker added that the council and developers have room to be ‘flexible and adaptable’ where it comes to the future of the town centre, with adaptations being proposed for the public area at Royal Winchester House due to the enduring popularity of food delivery apps like Deliveroo and UberEats. He said: “We need to find a solution to enable restaurants to thrive.”
As for the building itself, Comer Homes said that the only works to be done are ‘section 278 works’ which have been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Section 278 works involve making permanent alterations or improvements to a public area or highway, which has been agreed as part of the planning approval for Royal Winchester House. Section 278 works are part of the Highways Act 1980.
The developers declined to comment on when these works will be complete.
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